Gluten Testing and Food Labeling

Gluten is the protein that occurs naturally in wheat, rye, barley, and crossbreeds of these grains. Foods that typically contain gluten include breads, cakes, cereals, pastas, and many other foods.

Gluten is the substance that gives breads and other grain products their shape, strength, and texture. But for those who are suffering from celiac disease, an auto-immune digestive disorder, consuming gluten can have serious health consequences.

FSSAI recently published Draft Food Products Standards cum Packaging and Labeling (Amendment) Regulations, 2015 to set maximum limits and labeling requirements for gluten and non-gluten foods. To date, these draft regulations have not been notified to the World Trade Organisation (WTO).Gluten Testing

“Gluten-free” foods

These foods consist of or are made from one or more ingredients which may contain rice, rye, barley, oats and millets or ragi, pulses and legumes, where the inherent gluten has been reduced and the gluten level does not exceed 20 milligram (mg)/kilogram (kg) in total, based on the food as sold or distributed to the consumer.  The product does not contain wheat or any of its ingredients.

“Low-Gluten” foods

Foods specially processed to reduce gluten content to a level above 20 up to 100 mg/kg.  These foods consist of one or more ingredients from rice, rye, barley, oats, millet, or ragi, pulses and legumes which have been specially processed to reduce the inherent gluten present in them to a level between 20 and 100 mg/kg in total, based on the food as sold or distributed to the consumer.

For further details on these draft regulations, visit http://www.fssai.gov.in/Portals/0/Pdf/Draft_Notification_Gluten.pdf.

Gluten Testing

Manufacturers producing gluten free food must assure their products meet legal requirements for gluten free food. Testing for gluten (gliadin) is a key element in quality control. AES Labs offers gluten testing for quality control of your products.  We use gluten test kits used are based on the R5  antibody (Mendez). Codex Alimentarius specifies in Codex Standard 118-1979 (2008) the R5 antibody based ELISA as the standard method for the determination of gluten.  AOAC’s Research Institute, which provides an independent evaluation of test kits, has also certified this method as a Performance Tested Method

For more details on getting your products tested for gluten, please contact us at +91 9311837539 or write to us at support@aeslabs.com